The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in men’s international football nicknamed as the Super Eagles and it is governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They are three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners, with their most recent title in 2013, after defeating Burkina Faso in the final. The team has qualified for six FIFA World Cups missed out in 2006 and The team represents FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In April 1994, the Super Eagles were ranked 5th in the FIFA rankings, the highest FIFA ranking position ever achieved by an African football team. Throughout history, the team has qualified for six of the last seven FIFA World Cups (as of 2018), missing only the 2006 edition and have reached the Round of 16 three times. Their first World Cup appearance was the 1994 edition.
“You thought we were done? Wembley next” – Nnamdi Ofoborh
After playing other colonies in unofficial games since the 1930s, Nigeria played its first official game in October 1949, while still a British colony. The team played warm-up games in England against various amateur teams including Bromley, Dulwich Hamlet, Bishop Auckland and South Liverpool. The team’s first major success was a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games, with 3rd-place finishes in the 1976 and 1978 African Cup of Nations to follow.
In 1980, with players such as Segun Odegbami and Best Ogedegbe, the team, led by Christian Chukwu, won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. Nigeria Olympic men’s football team won the football event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, beating Mexico, Brazil and Argentina in the process. They were runners-up in the same event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, losing to Argentina in a rematch of the 1996 event.
In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria reached the Cup of Nations final, losing both times to Cameroon.
Three of the five African titles won by Cameroon have been won by defeating Nigeria. Missing out to Cameroon on many occasions has created an intense rivalry between both nations.
Three notable occasions; narrowly losing out in the 1988 African Cup of Nations, qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup, and then the controversial final of the 2000 African Cup of Nations where a kick was taken by Victor Ikpeba during the penalty shoot-out was adjudged not to have crossed the goal-line by the referee.
Nigeria’s national team image has undergone much evolution throughout its history. Prior to independence, they were called the Red Devils due to their red topped kits.
The name was changed to the Green Eagles after independence in reference to the Nigerian state flag as well as the eagle which adorns the country’s coat of arms. There had been deliberations for a while heading to the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, where they were still called the Green Eagles, but at a reception after the tournament, the team’s name was officially changed to the “Super Eagles”.
Today, only the senior men’s national team uses the nickname. The women’s national team is called the “Super Falcons”, and Nigeria’s underage male teams are nicknamed the “Flying Eagles” & the “Golden Eaglets”.
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